The last few weeks we have had quite a few issues regarding lag and connection issues in the lobbies.

Therefore, i have decided to repost this excellent guide which shows you step by step how to ensure your connection is as good as it can be.

A HUGE thankyou to SelectiveRogue over in TORA for allowing me to repost this. I was gonna work up a guide myself but this is superb. , also i feel i should thank BG Scarlett, as i think it was he who put the original version of this together. Great work guys, work like this really does help the racing community as a whole.

Thank you.

******REPOST FROM SelectiveRogue & BG Scarlett****************

All

Use this thread to ask our community how to resolve connection issues -

What is NAT?

NAT, or Network Address Translation, is a networking concept that allows your router to share a single IP address across multiple devices. Instead of your Internet service provider (ISP) assigning an IP address to every device that connects to the Internet, NAT allows your ISP to assign a single IP address to your router. The router then manages a set of IP addresses for all the devices on your home network.

When you have a NAT warning, you might experience the following symptoms:•You cannot hear a player within a game or someone cannot hear you.•You cannot join a party or your friend can’t join your party.

Some things to be aware of:•NAT problems do not affect game play speed. A NAT warning affects the ability to connect and communicate with other players.•If you are using a network at your workplace or college, there is a good chance that you are behind a proxy server or firewall, which is why you are experiencing NAT issues. Contact the network administrator for help.•You should not experience a NAT warning if you are using a wired modem connection.•If you’re using hardware that is compatible with Windows Vista or Windows 7, NAT issues should not occur.

Find out if you have a NAT warning

To find out if you have a NAT problem, test your connection. Here’s how:1.Press the Guide button on your controller, go to Settings and then select System Settings.2.Select Network Settings.3.Select Wired Network or your wireless network name (if you are prompted to do so).4.Select Test Xbox LIVE Connection.

If you get a NAT error, you might not be able to join some games or hear other players when playing games online.

To resolve the NAT problem, try the following solutions.

Resolving NAT issues

Solution 1: Restart your network equipment

Solution 2: Turn on UPnP on your network hardware

Solution 3: Simplify your setup

Solution 4: Open network ports

Solution 1: Restart your network equipment

1.Turn off your console and network hardware (for example, your modem and router).2.Wait 30 seconds.3.Turn on your modem and wait for it to come back online (approximately one minute).4.Turn on the next piece of hardware (for example, the router), and wait another minute.5.Repeat step 4 for every additional piece of network hardware.

Now test your connection again as described above. If you still receive a NAT warning, please try the next solution.

Solution 2: Turn on UPnP on your network hardware

Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) is a standard that helps routers communicate effectively.

If your router or gateway supports UPnP, make sure this setting is turned on. Refer to your hardware documentation for help turning on UPnP. Most hardware manufacturers have websites that include support information.

If you change the UPnP setting on your network hardware, restart your hardware and test your Xbox LIVE connection.

Now test your connection again as described above. If you do not receive a NAT warning after simplifying your setup, it suggests that the router is having problems handling multiple connections. To try to fix the problem, please go to the next solution.

Solution 4: Open network ports

Your network hardware or firewall might be blocking communication with the Xbox LIVE servers.

If you're connected to a network through your workplace or a school/university, ask the network administrator to open the following ports:•Port 88 (UDP)•Port 3074 (UDP and TCP)•Port 53 (UDP and TCP)•Port 80 (TCP)

If you’re not connected to a workplace or college network, you need to open network ports on your network hardware. There are two ways to open network ports: port triggering, and port forwarding. Port triggering is the quickest way to open network ports, however, not all routers support port triggering. Check your router documentation to find out if port triggering is supported. If your router does not support port triggering, try port forwarding.

Method 1: Port triggeringWhen you set up port triggering on your router, you need to trigger the following ports: •Port 3074 (UDP and TCP)•Port 88 (UDP)

Typically, you need to set the following for each port that needs triggering:

Note If you’re using Windows XP, click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then press ENTER.2.At the prompt, type ipconfig, and then press ENTER.3.Find your network connection (for example, look for something called "Local Area Connection" or "Wireless Network Connection"). Write down the numbers for the following items:

◦IPv4 address (or IP address) ◦Subnet mask◦Default gateway 4.Make up a unique IP address for your Xbox 360 console, and write it down. A simple way to do this is to add 10 to the last number of your computer’s default gateway address. For example, if your computer’s address is 192.168.1.1, use 192.168.1.11 for your console’s unique IP address.

Note Each IP address on your network must be unique.

Now you need to set your console’s IP settings.

Set your console’s IP settings1.On your console, press the Guide button on your controller, go to Settings, and then select System Settings.2.Select Network Settings.3.Select Wired Network or the name of your wireless network (if you are prompted to do so).4.Select Configure Network.5.On the Basic Settings tab, select IP Settings.6.Select Manual.7.Select IP Address.8.Enter the unique IP address that you made up, and then select Done.9.Select Subnet Mask, enter your computer’s subnet mask, and then select Done.10.Select Gateway, enter your computer’s default gateway, and then select Done.11.Select Done.12.Press B on your controller, and then test your connection again.

Part 2: Open ports on your router or gateway

Next, open ports on your router or gateway so that your network hardware can communicate with the Xbox LIVE servers.

Open ports on your router or gateway1.Start your web browser.2.In the Address bar, type the default IP address for your router or gateway, and then press ENTER. Here are the default IP addresses for a few router and gateway manufacturers:

If your manufacturer is not listed above, refer to your documentation or your hardware manufacturer's website for help finding the default IP address.3.Type your user name and password (for your router or gateway), and then click OK.

Note If you do not know the default user name and password, refer to your hardware manufacturer’s documentation.4.Once you are logged in, you should see your router or gateway's configuration page.5.Open the following ports:

A resource that might help you open ports on your router is the Port Forward website. Go to the Port Forwarding Guides for Xbox LIVE 360 page to find instructions for your router.

Tip The Port Forward website is available only in English. To translate the site, copy and paste the URL (www.portfoward.com) into a translation tool, such as Bing Translator.

For more help with opening network ports, contact whoever provides support for your router, such as your Internet service provider or router manufacturer.

Microsoft disclaims any and all liability arising out of your use of the third-party companies, software, solutions, services and training listed on the site. All software, solutions, services and training are provided "as is" and without warranty unless provided by the authoring third-party company.Restart your network equipment http://support.xbox.com/en-GB/xbox-live/connecting/nat-type-strict#efe7e8f9ed7044eeb82ac3962e8bb8bdRestart your network equipment

Below videos are a good guide as well -

Last edited by Gregbie on Thu Mar 14, 2013 3:34 pm; edited 1 time in total

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